


The Dawn King

by eveshka



Series: The Dawn King Cycle [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SPOILED, Dawn King Cycle, Drama, Gen, Here There Be Spoilers, Spoilers, endgame spoilers, you should know this by now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 04:14:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9862007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eveshka/pseuds/eveshka
Summary: This isn't a story about what happens in-game. This is a story about what happens after. It starts with a spoiler, and it just keeps going.The final part of the story:And Then Rose the SunOut of Darkness, LightTo Cast Away ShadowThe Dawn King





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Gentle Reader, this begins the end of the story.  
> Each chapter will tell you where it belongs, and you will see the reason for the first three tales to have 14 chapters.

The silence that came with the dawn was deafening. But after a moment, there was a rhythmic clicking, a sound that was vaguely familiar that began to draw closer to the men before the Citadel steps. Click-click-click-click.

Prompto ignored it, kneeling beside the fallen Ignis, his hand bloody on Ignis’ neck. He  _knew_ , of course. The man was simply too still. Behind the darkened lenses, even though Ignis’ eyes were clouded, they’d held a spark of life, now missing, the shock leaving them open wide and somehow focused in their surprise.

He fished a pinion out of his jacket and rested it against Ignis, snapping the spine. The feather broke and laid there, a splash of reddish-orange against dark-stained black. Another feather joined, and then a third. All snapped like ordinary feathers. Prompto was reaching for a fourth when Gladio’s voice stayed him.

“Prompto, it’s over. Magic’s… magic’s gone.” Gladio’s voice was ragged, dissolving into a harsh whisper at the words and the implied meaning. _Noct is gone._

The blond flinched, sharply, looking up to the Citadel and the light steadily growing on the building. And then still in stunned silence, Prompto lifted damp red fingers, moved the broken glasses, and drew his fingers lightly across scarred skin.

 

_So when dawn breaks, you’ll know it._

_I should._

_Good to know._

 

It seemed a grief too sharp to acknowledge that Ignis never saw his King's dawn.

Gladio stood behind Prompto, eyes welling and heart aching with tears unshed. The only sound in his head an echo of the last word Noctis said, trapped in a nightmare of loss from which the Shield could not wake. They'd lost so much, to lose Noctis _and_ _Ignis_ too...

A whine, and something warm and furry brushed past Gladio's leg to press against Prompto, to draw the blue gaze away from his lost friend and to the iced blue gaze of the messenger Umbra, Noctis and Luna's faithful companion. He sat, his burden visible, looking to Prompto in expectation. It took the blond a while to put it together, but when he did, it was with a choked sound that wasn't a laugh.

The notebook was heavy in Prompto's hand, tangible and precious beyond words, and at first, he didn't open it, simply looked at it blankly. When Umbra nudged him with his nose, Prompto opened the book to a page towards the back.

A Sylleblossom stem, pressed between pages rippled with droplets. Water from the flowers? No... the markings weren't tinted with the blue of petals. With a sinking feeling, Prompto realized what he was seeing. Tears. These were the marks of Noctis' grief from Altissia. Prompto felt Gladio kneel behind him and felt like he wanted to throw up.

Gladio reached around him, almost an embrace, and turned the page. The left side was blank. On the right, above where some loose papers had been folded into the book were four words, printed in careful letters:  _I love you guys._

Gingerly, tears falling, Prompto took out the papers and unfolded them.

 

Letters. They were letters. Written in Noct's hand, spidery from ten years of disuse and fingers that were a little longer than he remembered, but they were letters from Noctis. One for each of them.

He flipped through the papers, wincing as he read Ignis' name at the top of a page, and silently handed Gladio his. Then he turned back to his letter and began to read.


	2. Out of Darkness, Light - Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Out of Darkness, Light - Chapter Fifteen

_Prompto, I'm writing this in case I can't get my act together and tell you straight. I'm not coming back from this. By the time Umbra brings you the notebook, I'll be gone. And I hope you will forgive me for not being able to give it voice._

_I know you always struggled to believe you fit in, and no matter what I said, I could never convince you that you always had a place with me. And here, at the end of the road, there isn’t anywhere for you to be, and I will have to walk that path alone. By the time you’re reading this, I will have walked that path and left you behind. Forgive me._

 

Prompto's eyes blurred for the tears and he crushed the letter to his chest, leaning forwards into his knees with a silent wail, mouth open but bereft of sound. There were no tears, his eyes burned, but he could not cry. He exhaled, inhaled, his breath caught and he forced himself to breathe again, forced his lungs to work and begged the world to change. It didn't work. He couldn't change anything. He could only keep reading.

 

_So there it is, Prompto, and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you how much you meant to me, how important you are to me, to the others. And how, sitting in this moment by the campfire, while you pretend to sleep, how can I let you go? How can I look at you in the coming hours and know I will have to leave you behind, turn myself into memory and light and never see your face again?_

_But I will. I will leave you and the others behind, walk quietly to my end, and restore the world. Because I love you and will do everything in my power to keep you safe, which means giving my life to carry the light and restore the dawn. And once I do? Once it is over, let it be done. Let the line of the Luci Caleum fade. Let Insomnia finally rest. My last request of you as your King… your friend:_

_Build a new city, a new world not beholden to Astrals, to the old ways. Live your life in the light and to the fullest. Be patient with Ignis; he will need your love more than ever. And Gladio, though he puts up a front, is just as human as the rest of us. Love each other, because Cid was right. You are my brothers and I couldn't have chosen better if I'd tried. I carry you all in my heart._

_Noct_


	3. To Cast Away Shadow - Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Cast Away Shadow - Chapter Fifteen

At first, Gladio wasn't sure what Prompto was doing, kneeling by Ignis with Noctis' leather-bound book in his hands. He wasn't opening it, just staring at the cover and Gladio waited as Prompto gathered himself to open the book towards the back.

A Sylleblossom stem. Pressed between pages until it had dried flat, the flower of Tenebrae lay there against pages rippled by… Gladio couldn’t breathe. Those were the King’s tears. Preserved along with Luna’s flower. He swallowed, hard, and reached around Prompto to turn the page before they both couldn’t do it.

_I love you guys._

Four words. Four little words that turned into tears on Gladio’s cheeks. Tears that he didn’t bother to hide; he didn’t need to look to Prompto to see the blond was there too.

When Prompto handed him a page, it took Gladio a few minutes to blink his eyes clear enough to focus on the words that written on the paper in his hand. It took another few attempts to actually make _sense_ out of the words Noct had left him.

 

_Gladio, I hope I didn’t chicken out. At least, I’m trying not to. But I’m still me, even if ten years have passed; I probably did. So that’s why I’m sitting here by the campfire, writing notes before my confidence fails me. Just in case._

_We got off to a rocky start, didn’t we? You hated me for being weak, and I hated you for being an ass who hurt me. But hate and love are so damn close to each other and somewhere along the way, it changed. Was it in the bar that night? Was it before? Was it every time you stood before me and dared the world to hurt me? Only you had that right._

_And we did hurt each other, in the ways that only those you love can. But we forgave each other too, in the same ways. And once again, I find myself at a point where I must hurt you, hurt you deeply and in an unforgivable fashion. I have to step out from behind your shield. I have to let the world hurt me, and I won’t be back for you to forgive me afterwards._

_So hate me again, if you must, if it will be easier for you to take. I understand. But Ignis and Prompto? Be their Shield now. Protect them from themselves, from the inevitable attempts they will make to undo or understand why I did what had to be done. Don’t let Prompto follow me into the dawn. Keep Ignis from mourning too deeply. Shield their hearts and keep them safe. Remind them of my love for all of you, and when your heart hurts too much, remember to look to them and they will shield you in turn._

_In love, as in battle, you three are stronger together than you could ever be apart._

_Noctis_


	4. And Then Rose the Sun - Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Then Rose the Sun - Chapter Fifteen

It was an unspoken agreement between Prompto and Gladio. They couldn’t read Ignis’ letter. He wasn’t there. Wouldn’t be there. And besides, didn’t he already know? Prompto tucked the page into Ignis' hand, taking the book and his own letter and rising to stand beside Gladio and watch the sun as it rose against the buildings. Neither man saw the breeze take the page and flip it into the air, words sweeping above Insomnia and into the morning sky.

 

_Ignis, I know someone will read this to you, so do me a favor and be quiet. Just listen and hear my words. (And to whoever is reading this, thank you. Be my voice, my hand, my heart. He needs that more than ever.) So, here it is, Ignis. The culmination of all those years of training, eyerolls, meals, and insistence that I eat my damn beans, all rolled into one final note._

_What the hell do I say? How can I possibly tell you what I want you to know? How do I write words that tell you how much I love and appreciate you, knowing they’ll be read to you by a voice that isn’t mine? I take advice from the best advisor a man could have ever asked for and just do it. But as I write the words, I know they aren’t enough. You dedicated your life to me, and all I can do is give that life so you may have a new life in turn._

_I know; it’s a bitter thing, and I’m sorry for it. But I ask that you live that life, Ignis. As I beg of all of you to live, and forgive my death. Forgive me for going ahead and leaving you in the darkness with the hope that you will see the light when it breaks across the sky. Forgive the pain, the loss, the silence that will forever occupy the space once taken by this pain in the ass that won’t eat his vegetables._

_Forgive the Luci Caelum and all that we have done. Let us go into the morning, fade with the darkness and help bring in the new world. Shape it to your liking, without Astrals or myth turned into terrifying reality. Let the days of the gods die with me and live your life._

_And yes, Prompto will need your guidance, Gladio your strength. But together there is nothing the three of you cannot overcome, nothing that you cannot do. Walk tall together, and know that I walk with you now and always, my dearest companion, friend, brother._

_Noctis_


	5. Chapter Five

He sat by the campfire, looking over the flames. The old tent was to his left, worn and familiar, and he had sent the trio to bed shortly after his arrival. They’d all looked exhausted, and he’d promised to be there when they woke.

Prompto wasn’t sleeping, Noctis knew it, but he also knew that if his friend pretended long enough, it might just turn into rest. So he let Prompto keep pretending. He needed some time to himself anyway. They needed to know, needed to hear it from him, what he’d learned from Bahamut. But he also knew himself well enough to figure that he’d choke up, be unable to tell them anything, and he couldn’t leave them in the darkness. Literally or figuratively.

So he’d pulled out some paper from the stash he’d secreted in his pocket years ago in Altissia, pulled out the pen that Ignis had insisted he always carry, ( _it is safer to have your own pen for signing documents, Noctis_ ) and began to write. One letter to each of them, short. Something they could carry forwards with them after the dawn.

He paused when he heard someone stir inside the tent, but after a moment, silence fell again. Good. Let them sleep. The hard part was still ahead. In time, he finished the third letter, signed it, and quietly summoned Umbra to his side.

The messenger nosed at his hand, and Noct grinned, scratching the scruff of Umbra’s neck. Then he took the notebook, opened it past the pressed flower stem, and wrote on the right hand side. He read the words, nodded, and then folded the letters into a packet that fit within the notebook and pressed the book closed around them.

“One last request, if you will, old friend. Deliver this to Prompto when the sun comes up, okay? After that, you’re free. Duty over, job done. What you do will be your choice.” He spoke quietly as he tucked the notebook back into place and then pressed his face to the top of Umbra’s head. “Thank you. See you soon.”

Umbra made a soft sound, and padded unafraid into the darkness, leaving the King of Lucis to sit by the fire and try to come up with the words he needed to say. All too soon, he knew, it would be past time for words, and he would have to act.

For now, he’d take a few minutes to himself, crawl into the tent with his most loved companions, and rest with them like they had all those years ago. It hurt to think this was it, the last time he’d do this, but it was another memory to take with him. It would be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gentle Reader, it has been my honor.


End file.
